A Little Bet
by Flamebyrd
Summary: In which Subaru returns to Tokyo after nine years to make his own bet with Seishirou, and learns a lot in the process. A/U Yume sidestory.
1. First

A Little Bet

Okay, this is a rather strange A/U based on a scene I wrote for Yume (but haven't actually released yet.) It's a Yume sidestory and Subaru and Seishirou based.

Seishirou doesn't appear in this part - this one is mostly scene setting. It's next part that the plot begins. I'll post that today as well, I think.

Spoilers for X, book 8 or so. Up to that Subaru and Kamui scene. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you shouldn't read this. 

  
**Prologue**

A young man walked the streets of Tokyo, looking around as if for the first time. The wind ruffled his shaggy black hair and caused his white trenchcoat to billow out around him. Haunted green eyes stared out at the bare trees of winter, taking note.

"So little has changed," he said to himself. "I thought at least some of the trees would be dead."

But the trees were healthy, strong and tall against the overcast sky.

"Well," he said, with a bitter laugh. "At least the weather matches my mood."

He glanced at the address on a scrap of newspaper that he held, and hailed a taxi to take him there. He paid the fee, and walked over to stand outside the door, bracing himself.

He knocked.

After a moment, the door was opened by a teenager with long black hair and chocolate brown eyes. He blinked at the young man for a moment before his eyes flooded with recognition. "Subaru-san!" exclaimed the boy, sounding shocked.

"Tsuru-san," said Subaru, bowing. "I hear you're the new Clan Head. Congratulations."

The boy blushed. "I'm not ready for it, I think. I'm so young... You would be--" He stopped. "Come in," he said, gesturing for Subaru to enter.

Subaru left his shoes inside the hallway and followed the boy inside. "I'm not going to be Clan Head," he said, once they were sitting down.

"Oh," said Tsuru, seeming disappointed.

"But I will help out. It's a lot of work for one person, I know. I've been there before."

"Really?" said Tsuru, excitedly. "Because it's 1999, only I have school and I _so_ wanted to go to CLAMP University but I don't have enough time for study--"

Subaru smiled. "I understand. That's why I'm here."

  
**A Little Bet**  
A Yume Side Story.

**Chapter One**

It was another rainy day. He'd been back in Tokyo for a month and it seemed like all it had done was rain, rain and thunderstorm. Whilst it effectively prevented him from going anywhere that might bring up bad memories, it also left him inside all day with nothing to do but brood. The odd call from Tsuru, regarding a job the current Clan Head couldn't make it to, did very little to alleviate his rapidly increasing depression.

Someone knocked on his door. Subaru paused. He didn't have any friends in Tokyo, and Tsuru should be in school. After a few moments, whoever it was knocked again.

"Coming!" he called, putting on some slippers and making his way to the door.

"Subaru-san!" cried Tsuru, as soon as it was opened. "You have to help me!" The boy looked distraught and was pacing frantically outside the door.

Subaru blinked at him, and then gently guided him inside and onto the sofa. "What's wrong, Tsuru-san?" he asked gently.

"Kamui's gone Within and I can't get him out, even if I go Within him. I don't know what to do, Subaru-san!" said Tsuru - so quickly it took a moment to decipher his meaning. 

So, Kamui finally had made his choice. Subaru looked thoughtful. "What happened, exactly?"

Tsuru explained the situation breathlessly.

Subaru sighed. "Let me talk to him. I think we have some things in common."

Tsuru's face lit up. "Will you?"

The other onmyouji nodded. "Just let me get my coat."

Subaru had bought himself a nice little car for his stay in Tokyo, and they used that to make their way to CLAMP Campus. Tsuru led him inside, twisting his hands together nervously.

Two of the other Seals looked up at them as they entered the room.

"Everyone, this is my cousin Subaru. Subaru, these are Sorata and Arashi. Subaru's going see if he can get through to Kamui, okay?"

Sorata looked doubtful. "But you've already tried magic, haven't you?"

"Subaru's much better than I am," gushed Tsuru. "I'm sure--"

"I know what Kamui is going through," interrupted Subaru, quietly. "It won't hurt him if I try."

Tsuru led him through to Kamui's room, followed by Sorata and Arashi.

Subaru knelt by the bed and chanted quietly, ending the spell preparation by placing his fingers on Kamui's forehead.

The boy's mind was a mess of images, all of them bloody and violent. Subaru waded through them stoically, calling Kamui's name the whole time.

When he finally found him, Kamui was hysterical. Kamui's inner self was a very young child, with wide violet eyes that were, at that moment, full of pain.

"Listen to me! Kamui! If you don't escape this dream, nothing will begin and nothing will end. Things will only get worse. Just like what happened to me."

The boy blinked up at him.

"Right now, you are deep within your heart. Something terrible happened, and so you left that world to walk on one of your own. You're running away from reality. "

Kamui turned to look at another image behind him. "Who is that?"

It was inevitable, Subaru supposed, that his own ghosts would begin to appear in this intimate meeting of minds. "My sister," he said, pained. Quietly, he explained how the man he loved had betrayed him and how his sister had given herself up in his own place. "I couldn't do anything to stop her... I didn't even realise what she was going to do, because I was so caught up in myself."

Kamui's eyes were wet with tears.

"It's alright to stay here, if that's what makes you truly happy. But, if you don't get out of here, nothing will begin and nothing will end. You will be stuck as a spectator, just like I was."

The boy stood. "I want to bring Fuuma back. Because I couldn't protect Kotori, now I want to protect Fuuma. And _He_ is not Fuuma."

"Then, for the sake of that wish... Return," said Subaru, gently drawing the boy into a hug and then falling into darkness.

The next thing he was aware of was waking up to see Tsuru hovering over him, looking worried. "Subaru-san! Are you okay?"

He sat up, slowly. "I will be," he said. "Once the backlash wears off." 

"Here," said Tsuru. "Let me take you home."

It took Subaru a long time to stop crying before he slept that night.

~ TBC ~

Um, the dialogue for that scene was taken almost directly from Taryn's X scanlations. I would like to thank her very much.

Oh, and meet Tsuru, the unavoidable original character. Just so you know - he's straight. *grins*


	2. Second

A Little Bet

Chapter Two. Enter Seishirou, explanation for the title of the piece, and the start of some shounen ai content. Thank yous go to Meia for help with some of the dialogue.

This one has spoilers for _all_ of Tokyo Babylon.

**A Little Bet**  
A Yume Side Story.

**Chapter Two**

Sakurazuka Seishirou was fighting two of the Seals over a kekkai - the monk, Sorata and the shrine maiden, Arashi. He thought he was going quite well, actually, considering he was outnumbered two to one, when a strikingly familiar voice behind him brought him to his knees, shaken. 

"Stop."

There was silence for a moment, then Sorata yelled something at the intruder. "Stay away! You don't know what kind of monster he is!"

Sumeragi Subaru casually walked around in front of Seishirou. "On the contrary, I know exactly what kind of monster he is." He turned to raise an eyebrow at the Sakurazukamori. "Hello, Seishirou-san."

Sorata and Arashi stared at him. Then Sorata slapped himself on the forehead in realisation. "_ Sumeragi_ Subaru. Of course."

"Subaru-kun," said Seishirou, recovering his mask and smiling. "It's been a while."

Subaru gave him an even look. "Yes. It has."

"I don't think I've seen you since... Well, not since your sister offered herself as a sacrifice to me instead of you." He'd thought Subaru was gone for good, after that. He certainly hadn't felt a thing through his link to the onmyouji since, not even when the Sumeragi had returned to Tokyo. Whenever that had been.

Subaru glared.

"You let your own sister be killed in your place?" gasped Sorata.

Subaru's eyes flashed with pain and anger. "No! She didn't tell me what she was doing. I had nothing to do with it! When I found out, I..."

"You ran away," said Arashi, simply. "We did our research into the Sumeragi clan history."

He nodded, looking miserable. "I didn't want to be Clan Head anymore. Not after that." A single tear slipped from between his lashes to his cheek. He wiped it off his cheek, seeming almost angry at himself. "I learnt a few things while I was away, though, Seishirou-san."

"Yes?" said Seishirou, interested.

"Yes. I learnt about seals, and warding, and marking people... There are a lot of people out there willing to teach those with talent." Subaru glanced down at the silk gloves that still covered his hands.

"So, let's try again, then, shall we?" continued Subaru, taking a few steps forward.

"I'm sorry?" said Seishirou, missing Subaru's point.

"A year. If, by the end of it, you love me... I won't kill you," said Subaru, taking Seishirou's hand and gently tracing a pentagram on the palm. "_ Ja ne_, Seishirou-san."

~ * ~

Seishirou rubbed at his palm, absently. There wasn't any visible mark there that he could make out, but he could feel it, burning hot, like Subaru's blood.

He wondered what exactly Subaru had meant yesterday, when he talked about 'trying again'. Creating a new 'bet' couldn't change the past, after all.

Perhaps, he thought, it was that Subaru wanted revenge. It was a novel concept and he found himself smiling in morbid amusement. "So, Subaru-kun, you want our game to begin anew, do you? I'll be more than happy to play along..." he said, out loud.

Like a kind of magic, the object of his thoughts appeared before him, trudging along the road with his hands in the pockets of his trenchcoat. He stopped when he saw the Sakurazukamori. "Good morning, Seishirou-san," said Subaru, neutrally.

"Good morning," Seishirou returned. "I must admit, I wasn't expecting to see you again so soon."

"You were expecting me to wait a decade until you'd forgotten?" said Subaru, his expression not changing a bit.

Seishirou laughed, ignoring the needling. "Hardly. I must say, though, I don't quite understand how this new 'bet' works, Subaru-kun. I mean, what's to stop me from saying that I already do love you?"

"The point, Seishirou-san," said Subaru, coolly, "is that you have to convince _ me_ that you love me. And that won't be easy."

"How do you mean, convince? Flowers, chocolates?" he said, idly toying with a Sakura blossom.

"If you loved me, you'd know. It's as simple as that."

He gave up on that line of questioning. "Really, Subaru-kun... don't you think it's a little petty, starting this up when there's other, much more important, world-altering things going on?"

"Weren't you paying attention, Seishirou-san? I'm not Clan Head. 1999 is _ your_ problem. Not mine."

"You aren't being very fair, are you, Subaru-kun?"

"I didn't see you being fair to me, nine years ago."

"It was perfectly fair. You just lost." 

"I'll bear that in mind."

Seishirou decided to drop that subject, too. He regarded Subaru critically. He was taller now, and his hair was shorter. He was also a lot thinner, and Seishirou suspected he wasn't eating enough. The onmyouji was shaking slightly in the cold wind. "It's an interesting change in the weather, don't you think?" said Seishirou, glancing up at the sky.

Subaru glanced at him warily.

"I mean, it's a bright, sunny day, without even a cloud in sight. But in the shadows, it's ice-cold."

Subaru gave him a look. "Rather like someone I know," he said, turning away. "I'll see you around, Seishirou-san."

Seishirou watched him leave, thoughtful.

~ TBC ~

Feedback? Please?


	3. Third

A little Bet

The second half of this one is a little silly. This part has no real spoilers except for the usual Tokyo Babylon ones, and no heavy shounen ai. Meia gets a big hug for dialogue assistance.

**A Little Bet**  
A 'Yume' side story.

**Chapter Three**

Subaru finished unpacking the last of his clothes into the closet, and turned to the one remaining box in the centre of the living room. Tsuru had given him a box of things his grandmother had left behind after she died, saying only that he had no need for them.

The first item that struck him was a letter written on plain white paper, in familiar script.

__

Dear Grandmother,

I've done a lot of research over the past month into our Clan's past, and I've been to see a few of my distant cousins.

At least one of them has the suitable power to be Clan Head. So, I am turning the position back to you. I suggest you transfer it to him as soon as he is old enough. His name is Sumeragi Tsuru and I include his address with this letter.

I will probably never see you again. I'm going far away. I can't cope with the responsibilities of Clan Head any more. I apologise for any pain I have caused you and hope you can forgive me.

Sayonara, grandmother.

__

Sumeragi Subaru  
Ex Clan Head.

He put it away before his tears could wet the ink and make it run. "I'm sorry, grandmother," he whispered, closing the box. He didn't feel like going through it any more.

A knock on the door was a welcome distraction - until he recognised the hovering presence to be the Sakurazukamori.

"What is it?" he asked, opening the door irritably. He blinked at Seishirou's appearance - suit and hair dusted with a fine layer of off-white plaster, sunglasses apparently still in one piece and obscuring the otherwise handsome face. "Seishirou-san? What ha--"

"My building collapsed. Earthquakes. Don't ask."

Subaru stared at him. "And, what, you want me to put you up for the night?"

Seishirou leaned casually against the doorframe. "If you'll have me. It's your bet, after all."

The Sumeragi glared at him. "I don't recall you ever moving in with me."

"Well, Subaru-kun, it would hardly have been right, a twenty five year old living with a sixteen year old." He removed his sunglasses, revealing the right eye to be milky white.

Subaru stared at him, feeling his heart begin to thud in reaction to Seishirou's presence and the familiar guilt settle in the bottom of his stomach. He sighed, wondering if Seishirou knew the effect he was having on him. "Oh, come in."

"Thank you, Subaru-kun."

"You can have the spare room," continued Subaru briskly, pointing in the direction of the relevant door. "You're lucky I have one. I suppose you have luggage?"

Seishirou shook his head. "All my things were destroyed along with my apartment."

"Well. You'll have to buy yourself some, then." He picked his grandmother's box up off the table and took it to his own room. After a moment sitting on the bed, trying to stop his hands from shaking, he returned to the living room, where Seishirou had taken a place on the couch. "I'm going out."

"And I'm to stay here, am I? Do I get a key?"

"No," said Subaru, firmly. "You get to go out shopping for clothes. I'll be back about six, so don't come back before then." That gave him at least an hour after the shops closed. He was through with being considerate.

Once Seishirou was out of his apartment, he leaned back against the wall, letting out a deep breath. Even after all this time, the Sakurazukamori still had the ability to turn him into a shivering mess. 

If he was going to win this bet, he reflected, he was going to have to get over that.

As he locked the door, he wondered which outcome would be winning.

~ * ~

Sakurazuka Seishirou was annoyed. He was alone in Subaru's apartment, the onmyouji absent for reasons Seishirou had not been informed of. Not for the first time, he found himself trying to ascertain Subaru's purpose in rewriting their 'bet'.

He regarded the stuffed rabbit on Subaru's bed helplessly. "I wish I knew what he was trying to _do_, that's all," he told the rabbit, sitting on the bed himself. "He's not even _trying_ to make me fall in love with him."

The rabbit was silent.

Subaru had finally given him a key, after a week, but that was about the lengths of the onmyouji's consideration for his guest. If Seishirou was home, Subaru would prepare him another helping of whatever he was having for dinner, but otherwise Seishirou was obviously expected to fend for himself.

He didn't even leave notes. It was past eight, and Seishirou still had no idea where the Sumeragi was. They hardly ever spoke. Seishirou was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Do _you_ know what he's doing? Does he talk to you?" he asked the rabbit, picking it up by the ears.

The rabbit continued to say nothing.

Feeling a little silly for having expected an answer, he put the toy back on the bed and exited the Sumeragi's room.

He was just about to pace around the living room for the third time when he heard the sound of a key in the lock and the door being unlatched.

"Subaru-kun, where have you been?" he demanded, as soon as the onmyouji opened the door.

"Tsuru and I went out to dinner," said Subaru, shrugging his coat off and hanging it on a peg just inside the hall. 

Subaru's companion, obviously his cousin Tsuru, paused in the hallway, facing into the room. "Subaru-san, who is this?" he asked, glancing at Seishirou warily.

"Him? Oh, that's the Sakurazukamori. Just ignore him," said Subaru, casually.

"The Sakurazukamori?!" exclaimed the boy, looking horrified. Seishirou wasn't really surprised to notice that the boy was a Seal. Subaru had mentioned his cousin Tsuru, the Fourteenth Head of the Sumeragi Clan, after all.

Subaru gave Seishirou a Look. "He's not going to hurt you. Are you, Seishirou-san?"

"Subaru-kun, when your bet starts intruding on professional matters, I think it's going a little too far--"

"_Are_ you?"

"No. Not unless it's over a kekkai, no." 

"Good. Now, Tsuru, would you like some coffee or tea before you go home?"

The boy shook his head. "No, actually, I think I'd better get going."

"I'll call a taxi, then, okay?"

"Okay," said Tsuru. 

Subaru saw his cousin out, then returned to the apartment and headed straight for the shower.

Seishirou muttered unkind things under his breath as the water started up. He decided that he was sick and tired of being ignored and it was about time the situation changed.

"I guess it's up to me, though," he said to the empty air. After all, he didn't _really_ want to die, exciting as it would be to die in Subaru's arms. 

First step, he decided, would be buying Subaru a puppy.

-----  
Continued in part four. Comments appreciated.

Note for the interested: Tsuru means 'crane', and it came from a list of Japanese names for the constellations. It seemed to fit the character.


	4. Fourth

A little Bet

This part contains spoilers for all of Tokyo Babylon, but not much for X. There is also much fluff and cuteness, in preparation for angst to come.

**A Little Bet**  
A 'Yume' side story.

**Chapter Four**

Subaru let himself into his apartment after a morning of shopping, noting that, as usual, Seishirou was inside. When he entered the living room, he was almost knocked over by a brown ball of fuzz.

He picked it up, regarding it in a somewhat non-plussed manner. "... Seishirou-san?" he called. "What's this?"

"It's a puppy. I thought you'd like it," said Seishirou, from the direction of the kitchen. Judging by the smells wafting out, he was preparing lunch.

"But... the apartment..." stuttered Subaru.

"I spoke to the manager. She says it's fine."

"But..." The puppy licked his cheek, making the onmyouji smile involuntarily. It _was_ rather cute, with big brown eyes and floppy ears. "Oh, okay. I'll let you stay." He put the puppy down, letting it run free in the living room.

Seishirou walked out with two neatly prepared plates of food.

"What are we going to call him?" asked Subaru, after a while. He absently poked at a piece of rice with his chopsticks. Seishirou's cooking wasn't half bad, actually, but Subaru wasn't very hungry. He rarely was.

"It's a girl, actually." Seishirou thought for a bit. "Hokuto?"

Subaru glared at him. "That's in very bad taste, Seishirou-san."

"Fine, fine... I just thought you might want to commemorate her."

"I'll name my first daughter after her. Not a puppy."

"Pochi, then?"

Subaru rolled his eyes. "How about Faido?" he countered. 

Seishirou smiled. "Faido it is, then."

Subaru blinked at him, then turned his attention back to the puppy, who was in the middle of the room, chasing her tail. "Hello, Faido," he said, smiling softly. He turned his attention back to Seishirou. "Thank you, Seishirou-san."

Seishirou smiled. "Anything for my Subaru-kun."

Subaru scowled and returned to his meal. "Don't call me that," he said, absently. "I'm not your anything."

~ * ~

Against his better judgement, Subaru took the puppy with him to visit the Seals that afternoon. 

"He got you a _puppy_," said Kamui, shocked.

"Yes," said Subaru, smiling happily. "Her name is Faido. Isn't she sweet?" He rolled a rubber ball in front of her and watched her bat at it with clumsy puppy paws.

"Subaru-san, what exactly is going on between you and him?" demanded Tsuru.

Subaru glanced at him. "Oh, we have this little bet going. It's nothing to worry about."

"If he's buying you _pets_..."

"That's just Seishirou-san. He doesn't mean anything by it." He shrugged, and threw the ball again. "No matter how much I wish he did," he added, quietly.

"Subaru, why are you doing this?" asked Tsuru, in a softer voice. "He's the one that killed your sister, isn't he?"

"I'm doing this," said Subaru, "because I want to know if he can love me."

"And what if he can? Your sister's death is meaningless then!"

"If he _can_," Subaru said, "then my sister has what she always wanted."

Tsuru had nothing to reply to that with.

"Tsuru..." he said, softly. "You don't need to worry. I'll be okay, no matter what happens."

"But what if he kills you?" asked Tsuru, sounding hurt. "I don't want to lose you. Since Grandmother died, you're the only real family I have."

"I'd miss you, too," spoke up Kamui, looking miserable.

Subaru regarded the two of them wistfully. Both of them, so young, with the fate of the world on their shoulders. It wasn't fair, not in any sense of the word. "He won't kill me," said Subaru, firmly. "I'd kill him before he ever had the chance to hurt me."

But I may kill myself, he added, in the quiet recess of his mind. Because I can't live without Seishirou-san.  


--  
To Be Continued.

The next part is giving me a lot of trouble so it could be a while. Questions and comments appreciated.


	5. Fifth

(Type a title for your page here) Okay, this is the chapter that nearly killed me. Big Major Spoilers for X book 12: that is, The Eye Scene. If you don't know what I'm talking about, don't read this. 

If you _do_ know what I'm talking about but haven't actually read the relevant scene, go visit Poorly Dubbed (http://www.asphyxia.tv/manga), worship Taryn, and download it. Otherwise this won't make much sense. 

Thanks to Meia, Murasaki and Ven for being there to help. More thanks go to Taryn for the X translations - I'd be lost without them. 

  
**A Little Bet**   
A Yume side-story.   
Chapter Five. 

Seishirou finished walking Faido and dropped her back at the apartment block, where the landlady's daughter (18 years old, currently not studying) had offered to look after the puppy whilst Subaru and Seishirou were "at work". It was a far more preferable option than having the enthusiastic puppy running around the apartment all day, so Subaru had agreed wholeheartedly, and brought her a little gift every evening when he picked the puppy up. 

Seishirou found himself drifting towards Ueno Park, where his tree was complaining that he'd been neglecting it these past few days. Shrugging, he made his way there and informed it quite firmly that he would feed it when he got a job, and no sooner. 

A sudden feeling that something was Not Right set him running for where he _knew_ Subaru was. Knowing, somehow, that time was of the essence, he sent his shikigami ahead, the eagle winging itself through the air to Sunshine 60. 

He used its eyes periodically, so he could know what to expect ahead of time. The eagle reached its location long before he was even near it, and it circled the area patiently, waiting for him to arrive. 

Seishirou cast his vision to the bird's eye view again, instructing it to fly lower until the scene below was perfectly in focus. 

Subaru. On the ground, with Fuuma leaning over him. 

The onmyouji looked bad. He could feel the confusion leaking through their link. Noting that Subaru's defences were almost non-existent, he gently pushed his way into Subaru's mind. 

/He looks like Seishirou-san./ 

What? he thought. No, I don't. 

/Why? Why does he look like Seishirou?/ 

Fuuma said something, his words only seeming to add to Subaru's confusion. "Because... you want me to." 

In a single flash, Seishirou saw what was going to happen. Through both his shikigami's eyes and Subaru's mind he saw the fingers descending, just as he was a few moments from making his own appearance on the scene. Seishirou pulled his mind out of Subaru's as if it burned, and ran. 

He wasn't in time. 

Sensing there was nothing he could do for the onmyouji now, he stopped running and simply watched as someone called the ambulance and the body was taken away. 

"What did you do to him?" he demanded of Fuuma, when the 'Kamui' walked up to him. 

Fuuma shrugged, and walked away. "It was his Wish," he threw over his shoulder as he left. 

"He has nothing to do with us," stated Seishirou, loudly. "Why do that to him?" 

"He would have interfered," said Fuuma, delicately, "with Kamui and I. And, as I said, it was what he wanted." 

Seishirou fought back the urge to drown the boy in Sakura petals and cast his mind out to Subaru's, wondering if he would even be able to find it. 

The onmyouji was still alive. 

Thoughtfully, he lit up a cigarette and spent several minutes just watching the smoke twirl up into space. For the first time, he felt what must be 'relief'. 

"Subaru..." he said to the light mist of smoke around him. "Why did you let him do that? Do you still feel guilty for that time? That's ridiculous, you know, I never blamed you." He stubbed out his cigarette and made his way back to Subaru's apartment, picking up Faido on the way. 

The puppy squirmed in his arms until he set her down in the living room. When he sat down on the couch, she lay down in front of him and whined softly. 

"So, you can sense your master is hurt, can you?" he asked, ruffling her ears gently. "He'll be in hospital for a while, I expect. It's just you and me for now, Faido." 

The puppy licked his wrist sadly. 

~ * ~ 

Subaru spend about a week in a drugged daze and then another recovering from it before he was allowed to go home. Tsuru and Kamui visited him frequently, but Subaru didn't feel like talking to them about something as personal and painful as this. He'd spent his conscious week dreading the visit he was certain the Sakurazukamori would make. He didn't think he could take it, the false smiles and fake cheerfulness. 

When the doctor finally signed the paper allowing him to go, without Seishirou having shown his face even once, Subaru only felt relief. 

He usually took the stairs in his apartment building, but one look at them with his unfamiliarly flat eyesight was enough to make him turn to the elevator. 

Subaru fumbled for his keys. The landlady's daughter had told him she hadn't been given Faido to look after for over a week, and he worried sick over what might have happened to her in the weeks she had been under Seishirou's care. He was expecting the worst. 

He _wasn't _expecting the door to be opened for him, nor to be greeted by a very enthusiastic, somewhat larger than he remembered, combination of brown fur, big eyes and floppy ears. He knelt in front of the puppy, feeling himself break out into a smile. "Hello to you, too, Faido," he said, petting her gently. "I'm glad to be home." 

Subaru was also surprised when Seishirou bent over to give him a hand up. Subaru self-consciously put a hand to his bandage to make sure it was still in its place, and then grudgingly accepted the help up. "I see you've taken good care of her while I was in hospital," he said, softly. 

Seishirou shrugged. 

"I was worried about her. Thank you for that." 

"What did the doctors say?" asked Seishirou, indicating to Subaru's eye. 

Subaru took a breath to calm himself. "I won't be able to see out of it again, but he didn't take the whole thing out. It'll just be blind, like..." He fell silent. 

"Like mine, Subaru-kun?" 

Subaru nodded, looking at the floor. 

"You must know that I never blamed you for that, Subaru-kun." 

"I know," said Subaru. "You're incapable of such emotions. But I am. And I feel guilt. And Fuuma... The Dark Kamui..." He stopped speaking, unable to continue. 

"He has a way of turning your little personal flaws into personal disasters, yes?" 

Subaru nodded, slowly. His own greatest flaw had always been his insistence on feeling guilt for things that were none of his concern. "I suppose he does," he said, quietly. 

--  
Comments appreciated. 


	6. Sixth

Part 5 _Warnings for this part: Spoilers for the end of Tokyo Babylon, as usual. Plenty of Subaru angst and a little Seishirou musing. Bad characterisation of Fuuma (I'm just not that type of person, really.)_

**A Little Bet**  
A Yume Side Story  
Chapter Six

Subaru woke up the next morning to find himself alone in the house. He wondered for a moment where Seishirou was, then decided he was probably better off not knowing and what did he care, anyway?

He went out to the kitchen to break his fast, only to discover it was, in fact, afternoon.

Shrugging, he attributed it to the stress of the previous day, and prepared himself something to eat all the same.

After he'd finished his meal, he went into the living room to practice reading with his altered vision. After about an hour, he got up and gently stopped the clock.

Someone knocked on the door. "Sumeragi-san?"

Curious, Subaru got up to answer it, after first making sure his bandage was covering his injury.

It was the landlady's daughter, complete with squirming puppy. He realised to his surprise that he hadn't even noticed Faido's absence since he got up.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Sumeragi-san, but Sakurazuka-san said you were at home but still injured, only I have to go out this afternoon, so I have to bring Faido-chan back... Is it okay?"

He nodded. "I'm very grateful to you for looking after her for so long," he said, quietly.

She giggled. "It's okay, really. I love puppies."

Subaru smiled tentatively. "I do, too," he confided.

She giggled again. "Well, I have to go. Bai bai, Faido-chan!"

Subaru watched her run down the hallway, and then turned back to his apartment and locked the door.

He carried Faido to the living room and sat down with her on his lap, gently ruffling her ears. "You know, I might as well have called you Hokuto," he said, conversationally. "Because I think you're the closest I'm ever going to get to a daughter."

The puppy jumped off his lap and ran to her ball, wagging her tail hopefully. He smiled indulgently at her. "Oh, come on. Bring it over here."

He occupied himself entertaining the puppy for a good ten minutes or so before his mind began to wander.

"Faido..." he said, quietly. "You'll listen, won't you? You won't judge me."

The puppy sat in front of him and tilted her head quizzically, winning still another smile from Subaru.

"It's nothing important. I just felt the need to talk to someone. About... you know. Seishirou-san.

"He's not the person I thought he was. He never _was_ that person. It's only now that I'm really getting to know the kind of person Sakurazuka Seishirou is." He smiled, bitterly. "I suppose if you could talk you'd be asking me whether I love the real Seishirou." He looked off into the distance for a while. "And I wouldn't be able to answer you, because I don't know. I'm not sure I even know what love is, any more.

Faido jumped up and settled herself on his lap again. He petted her absently.

"I thought I knew at sixteen. But it can't have been true love, because it didn't change anything. Love is supposed to work miracles, right?" He felt a few tears trickle down his cheeks, and saw them splash onto the creamy fur. The puppy whined softly. "And I wonder if love is just a myth, or whether it's just for me that it doesn't exist...

"But most of all, I wonder why he didn't love _me_. Am I so unlovable?" The puppy licked the salt off his cheek, making him smile involuntarily. "I guess _you_ don't think so." He was silent for a moment, patting the puppy. "And I have Tsuru, and Kamui, both of whom love me like family," he continued, quietly. The thought comforted him, a lot. He began to feel that even if this 'bet' with Seishirou ended badly, he might even be able to live on, if he made an effort.

He picked up Faido and lifted her up to meet his eyes. "Thank you," he said, softly, "for reminding me of the little loves."

The puppy licked him on the nose.

"You know, at first I thought I would just stay away from him for the rest of my time on this earth. He put out the bright light in my life, I didn't think I could bear to see him again. 

"But then I stopped hurting and started thinking, and I began to realise that he must have some bright light in his life, too, and I wondered if it had been me.

"So I came back. To find out if I was."

~ * ~

Seishirou was somewhat concerned that the only social life he seemed to have was going out for icecream with an extremely twisted teenager that had a penchant for sadism. 

He still wasn't entirely certain about the whole affair with Subaru's eye. It bothered him, for reasons he couldn't quite make out.

But, still, it was best to keep on Fuuma's good side. And he did enjoy the icecream.

He wondered what Fuuma would see as _his_ Wish. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know. 

"I'm sorry about your building," said Fuuma. "I assure you, it wasn't deliberate."

Seishirou was surprised for a moment, since so much time had passed since his building collapsed he'd almost forgotten the cause.

He wondered why Fuuma brought it up now.

Seishirou gazed at him, evenly. For a moment, he could have sworn that Fuuma was lying. But why would he lie about _that_, of all things? "It's quite alright," he said, shrugging. "I'd almost forgotten about it."

"And you seemed to find yourself a new place quite quickly, didn't you?" said Fuuma, musingly. "I wonder about you and that onmyouji."

"We knew each other," said Seishirou, with dignity, "a long time ago."

"He knows the Seals," observed the boy.

"His cousin is the Head of the Sumeragi Clan." Seishirou shrugged.

"Is he a threat?"

Seishirou laughed. "Subaru couldn't kill someone even if he wanted to. He has a 'kind heart'."

"He Marked you, though."

Seishirou hadn't realised that Fuuma had noticed that. He shrugged again.

"You must have a very interesting past, if he felt the need to do that. I don't think this is just the rivalry between Sumeragi and Sakurazukamori."

"If you know that about his family, you must also know that I am the one that killed his sister," said Seishirou, coldly. "What is it that you wish to know, 'Kamui'?"

"I want to know," said Fuuma, coolly, "if he is going to hinder our cause."

"No," said Seishirou. "I rather think you put an end to his inclination to mess with fate." He threw the paper wrapping of his cone into the bin. "I have a job to do. I'll see you around."

He took care of his job in his usual quick, cold manner. When it was all over, he wiped the blood off his gloves distastefully. He just couldn't find any _satisfaction_ in death, recently.

Perhaps it was that he could sense the end of the world coming. There really wasn't much point in killing for the future of Japan when the people of Japan _had_ no future.

Or perhaps it was something else. 

He thought of his Subaru-kun, stuck alone in his apartment for the day, most-likely knowing where Seishirou was and what he was doing. He knew Subaru didn't approve of the Sakurazukamori's use of onmyoujitsu. Of course he didn't, being the former Head of the Sumeragi clan and a wielder of white magic. 

He wondered what had brought _that _particular line of thought on.

When he got back to the apartment, he discovered that Subaru had apparently fallen asleep while sitting on the sofa. He was half-inclined to leave him there like that, but then he remembered Subaru's injury and grudgingly bent over to pick the onmyouji up.

Subaru didn't wake, not even when Seishirou tucked him into bed.

--  
Authors love feedback.


	7. Seventh

_And, finally, here it is. You would not believe the trouble this scene caused me. Thanks to Meia, Ven and Murasaki for being there to help.  
  
Warnings for this part: Spoilers for X, book 16. Violence. Angst. Pain. _

**A Little Bet**  
A Yume Sidestory.  
Chapter Seven

It was another cold winter day. Subaru walked up to where Seishirou stood and leant over the bridge, staring down at the churning water below. Subaru was shivering slightly in the cool breeze.

"Are you cold, Subaru-kun?" said Seishirou, with a mild smile. "Here, have my coat."

The onmyouji gave him a _look_, and ignored the offer. "You killed somebody here, didn't you?" said Subaru, quietly.

"Yes."

"Who? Why?"

He shrugged. "Does it matter? They died."

Subaru frowned. "Even if they were bad people, they didn't deserve to die like _that_."

Seishirou raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"What you do to them... No matter how evil they are, it's too cruel."

"So, you think I should let them live? Subaru-kun, I get paid to be an assassin, not a preacher of morals."

The onmyouji glared. "Kill them if you must. But there's no need to torture their souls."

"Cute, Subaru-kun. But I can't. It's not the kind of person I am."

Subaru slapped him.

He put a hand to his burning cheek, raising his eyebrows to show his surprise. "My, aren't we feeling brave, Subaru-kun?"

Subaru just glared at him.

"But, you know, you really shouldn't mess with assassins. After all, it would be easiest thing in the world for me to..." He began drawing power from the Sakura into his hand, smiling pleasantly. He knew perfectly well that _using_ it on Subaru would only result in his own death, but he was fairly certain Hokuto had never told her brother what her final spell was.

Besides, he felt like playing a bit. He let a predator's smile creep onto his face and took a step closer, so close that he would only have to lean forward a little to take the other's lips in his...

Subaru shifted his head out of Seishirou's reach, expression simply one of pain. Annoyed, Seishirou diverted his power back to the Sakura. He wasn't about to willingly let himself be killed, and especially not as the result of one of his victims. The tree wasn't entirely impressed with him, but it accepted the power hungrily.

What Seishirou hadn't been expecting was that Subaru would have seen his spell in formation, and decided to act against it. He ducked to the side, too late, as he felt the sickening crunch of Subaru's hand connecting with his chest.

Some detached part of him observed that Subaru had broken several of his ribs, and probably punctured a lung as well. It was certainly bleeding a lot. Subaru pulled his hand back, staring at the blood coating it in a kind of horror. "S-Seishirou..." he said, in a voice that was barely a whisper.

No honorific now, Subaru-kun? You surprise me, thought another part of him.

"I think you should know," he managed to get out, with a certain amount of difficulty because of his injury, "that your sister's final spell was that if I should ever try to kill you the same way I killed her, the spell would rebound."

He saw Subaru's eyes widen in shock, and then it was just too much effort to stay conscious and he fell into darkness.

~ * ~

Subaru returned home in a daze. Numbly, he unlocked his door and went inside. It was eerily silent. Faido was probably still with the landlady's daughter. He couldn't bring himself to go downstairs and collect her, and instead rang to inform her he couldn't pick her up that evening.

Subaru had rung for an ambulance as soon as he could think again, told them where they were, and then fled. He hadn't stopped running until he reached his apartment. He had no idea if Seishirou was alive or not, only that his hand was covered in blood.

He ran for the tap as soon as he saw one and washed the blood off, scrubbing at it until his skin was rubbed raw and stinging.

He should be hungry, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything. His stomach rebelled violently at the thought of food.

How could I do that? he thought. How did I... Why did he let me...

He ran to the toilet and was violently ill.

Feeling dirty and worthless, he went back to the bathroom to shower and then collapsed into bed, expecting not to be able to sleep a wink.

In truth, he didn't so much fall asleep as pass out.

In his dreams, Subaru was warm and comfortable, held by reassuring arms. He opened his eyes, hoping the feeling wouldn't disappear. He blinked at his companion, now _certain_ that this was a dream.

"Oh, _Subaru_..." said Hokuto, looking both apologetic and frustrated. "I wasn't expecting you to kill him by _accident_!"

He blinked at his twin. "H-Hokuto-chan..."

She took a step back and regarded him critically. "You look horrible. You should take better care of yourself."

He knew what was coming next.

"And your _clothes_! Didn't I teach you _anything_?!"

Subaru wasn't in the mood to laugh. "_Oneesan_... He isn't dead, is he?" he said, in a small voice.

Hokuto hesitated.

Subaru fell to his knees. "No..."

"He was in the Sakura," said Hokuto, quietly. "I'm sorry." She knelt beside him and held him loosely around the shoulders.

For the first time that day, Subaru broke down and cried.

--   
*ahem*   
_Please do not kill me.   
(I wish I could write longer chapters. Then I wouldn't feel so pathetic.)   
  
Oh, and I'd like to thank Taryn for providing the original X translations on her wonderful site. _


	8. Eighth

A Little Bet **Chapter Eight**

It was a completely different point of view, reflected Seishirou. Being a tree was nothing like being a human. Time seemed to move more slowly, for example. His field of vision was limited to that of his Shikigami, perched in the branches of the Sakura.

The souls the tree devoured were not stored there. There should be nothing inside the tree but its meagre consciousness. But, as it turned out, Hokuto's final spell had contained more layers than he had realised. The moment he transferred his consciousness to the tree, the ever-hyperactive Sumeragi twin had appeared in front of him and flung her arms around his neck.

"SEI-CHAN!"

She had immediately demanded leave to go to her brother. A little non-plussed, he asked why she needed his permission.

She threw her arms up into the air in frustration. "Well, _really_, Sei-chan. I can't get into his mind because _you_ have your nasty binding on him."

Obedient, if somewhat confused, he had fixed the problem for her. It wasn't so hard, to make a binding recognise another person - a simple matter of informing it that Subaru was _his_, but he wouldn't object to Hokuto getting too close. It was either that, or deal with an angry Hokuto.

Not that he was _afraid_ of Hokuto-chan. No, not at all. 

He wondered if she would be coming back. Part of him hoped she would, so she could ease his curiosity about Subaru's reaction to this mess. Another part wasn't sure he could take it.

Seishirou reflected that the kind of power the Sakura contained seemed to act rather like a drug on his consciousness. 

He jumped about a foot into the air, figuratively speaking, when Hokuto popped into existence in front of him. Silently, he cursed himself for being so unnerved by a victim, and a teenaged girl at that.

Even if she was something of an overwhelming personality. And way too overprotective of her brother - whose life Seishirou had ruined single-handedly.

"_Honestly_, Sei-chan," said Hokuto, rolling her eyes. "What happened to the cool, calm and collected psychotic killer we grew to love?"

"Your brother killed him," he said, deadpan. It was true, in a way. He hadn't been feeling at all collected since Subaru came back to Tokyo. And the recent events certainly hadn't helped.  


~ * ~

Subaru was woken from a fitful sleep by a knocking on his apartment door. Silently wishing Seishirou was around to answer it instead, he got up and unsteadily made his way to the hall.

_But then, it's your fault he can't, isn't it?_

He squashed that inner voice before it made him start crying again.

Subaru opened the door to find his cousin standing there, twisting his hands together, apprehensive as always. He gave Subaru an assessing look. "You look like Hell," said Tsuru, eventually.

Subaru gave him a weak smile. "Come in, Tsuru-san."

Tsuru followed him into the kitchen and took charge of preparing the tea, pretending not to hear Subaru's protests. "You need to relax," he said, firmly. "Sit down."

When the two of them were finally seated with cups of tea in front of them, Tsuru spoke again. "I have news."

Subaru put his teacup down. "Yes?"

"He's not dead."

"What? Who? Seishirou-san?"

"Yes. Nokoru-san found it out. Sakurazuka Seishirou is in Central Hospital. In a coma."

"A _coma_?" whispered Subaru. "But..."

Tsuru shrugged. "It's as much a mystery to me as to you. He has fractured ribs and a punctured lung, and the doctors have no idea what would have induced the coma."

Subaru picked up his cup again. "Thank you for coming to tell me. I appreciate it."

"I couldn't have done anything different. But Subaru-san, I wanted to ask... It was you, wasn't it? Why?"

"Why? Because I promised you and Kamui that I wouldn't let him kill me," said Subaru, tracing circles on the tabletop with his finger. 

You might have died anyway," said Tsuru, frowning. "You were killing yourself slowly over what happened."

Subaru looked guilty. "I'm sorry."

Tsuru smiled. "I'll forgive you. Only, next time, Subaru-san, find a way to defend yourself that won't make things worse, okay?"

He smiled. "I'll try."

~ * ~

Subaru wasn't particularly surprised to find his sister invading his dreams again the night after Tsuru broke him the news. 

"Maybe the reason he's in the coma is because he didn't want to stay in a wounded body," mused Hokuto. "He's probably intending to return to it when his body has healed."

Subaru took a deep breath. "I'm glad. I think."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Glad? You _think?_"

He nodded. "Because, in these last few months I think I've come to know him a bit better."

"And...?" she prompted.

"He's a jerk," said Subaru, smiling. "But... he's also a friend."

"I'll say he's a jerk," muttered his sister, darkly. "He didn't even come to see you in the hospital."

Subaru frowned. "The hospital... I should go see him, shouldn't I?"

"Well, of _course_ you should! It might help bring him back quicker. And god knows he deserves to feel a little pain."

Subaru laughed, softly. "I don't see how my visiting him would make that happen."

She made a frustrated noise. "Because he loves you, idiot!"

Subaru raised his eyebrows. "Don't be ridiculous."

Hokuto folded her arms stubbornly. "You don't have to believe me. But it's true."

Subaru shrugged. "At any rate, you can say that all you like, it won't make any difference to me until he admits it himself."

She threw her hands up in frustration. "I give up! Even _I've_ forgiven him. You're just too stubborn for your own good, Subaru." 

Subaru woke up, blinking into the faint light creeping in from under the blinds. He decided to go to the hospital after breakfast. After all, what harm could it do? And it would be a good place to think, without any distractions.

Once he'd managed to convince the doctors to let him into Seishirou's room, he collapsed into the chair and sat for a few moments, just watching his still form.

"Seishirou-san," he said, frowning at the lifeless form in front of him. "I know you probably can't hear me. Hokuto-chan thinks that my being here with you will help you wake up sooner, but I don't really believe that.

"I guess if you were awake, you'd be expecting me to ask you for forgiveness. I'm not going to. There's nothing to forgive, is there? You were going to hurt me and I simply acted to stop you.

"I don't want to be hurt any more, Seishirou-san." And especially not by you, he added silently. 

Seishirou's face was peaceful, in his deathlike sleep. It was almost hard to reconcile him with the cold-blooded killer Subaru knew. "And even if you _were_ only threatening me," continued Subaru, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, despite himself, "it was completely unacceptable behaviour. I'm not your _toy_, Seishirou-san.

"You had no right to make me a murderer."  



	9. Ninth

A Little Bet

_My chapters are far too short, I know. Maybe later I'll go back and post it in three parts. But for now, it's just app. 1000 word parts. Sorry._

**Chapter Nine**

Seishirou was sharing a very surreal cup of tea with Hokuto-chan when she suddenly jumped up, spilling the tea all over their picnic rug. "I've had enough of this 'being patient'. Sei-chan. Your body is almost healed, you are returning to it," she said, stamping her foot.

He glanced at her. "Why so determined? It hardly matters," said the Sakurazukamori, mildly sipping at his own tea.

"It matters to my brother! I want you to wake up and stop making him worry!"

He raises an eyebrow. "He's worried about me?"

"Of _course_ he is. He really wasn't coping well with being a murderer, you know."

"He wasn't a murderer," Seishirou pointed out. "Besides, what good will going back do?"

"Well, if you're lucky, my brother will have forgiven you as a result of this mess."

"And if I'm not?"

She shrugged. "If not, I expect he'll get himself killed one of these days."

He frowned, but decided to dismiss it for the moment. "So, Hokuto-chan, what _are_ you doing here, anyway?"

"I'm trying to convince _you_ to return to your body! _Ne_, Seishirou-san, you don't pay very much attention, do you?"

"That wasn't what I meant," he said, stiffly.

"Oh. Well, I was waiting for you to appear in the tree, of course."

He paused for a moment. "Wouldn't that be a bit dull?"

"Well, I wasn't waiting there the _whole_ time! I went to check on Kakyou-san occasionally, but he didn't ever sense me and I couldn't get into his dreams to talk to him." She sighed dramatically. "So all I could do was follow my brother around and hope for the best."

"I never sensed you, either."

"You weren't looking. Now, are you going to wake up or not?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's not like anything's holding me back..."

She clapped her hands, and disappeared.

When Seishirou awoke, everything was silent. With some effort, he opened his eyes. He was alone in a bare, white hospital room. Frowning, he looked around until he found a button to contact the nurse. Then, he spent several moments trying to coax his neglected muscles into responding to him. 

While he waited for the nurse to arrive, he summoned his shikigami and sent it off to find Subaru. He wanted to get out of this hospital as soon as possible.

~ * ~

Subaru was disturbed from his reading by the presence of _something _trying to cross the wards he'd placed all around his apartment. Sensing no evil intend, he let down a few wards to allow the eagle-form inside. It flew through the window and circled him a few times, until he put up his wrist for it to perch on.

He stroked it on the head, softly. "You're Seishirou's shikigami, aren't you?" he asked, curious.

The bird preened, ruffling its feathers gently.

"Did he send you to me? Is he awake?"

There was no verbal reply, but it was definitely affirmative.

"I suppose he wants to get out of the hospital." Subaru considered the idea for a moment. "Damn. I guess that's the least I owe him. Go back and tell him that I'll be there soon, okay?"

The bird refused to move.

Subaru blinked at it. "That's not what you want? Then, why are you here? Didn't Seishirou send you to get me?"

The bird continued to preen, ignoring him.

"Do you not want me to go to Seishirou?" said Subaru, confused. Then he began to smile, as he realised what was going on. "You think he needs to stay in the hospital longer, don't you? He's not completely healed."

Another affirmative.

"He won't be pleased," said Subaru, laughing.

But, of course, the bird didn't care about that. The bird just cared that its master would be safe.

Subaru's dreams were haunted by strange visions of his own three-headed shikigami flying in magnificent circles, always just out of the eagle's reach.

The symbolism did not go unnoticed.

~ * ~

Seishirou was lying back in bed with his eyes closed when Subaru arrived, but he managed to manoeuvre himself into a sitting position when he felt the younger man's presence. "Good morning, Subaru-kun," he said, with false cheer.

Subaru presented his wrist, complete with Shikigami. Meekly, the bird hopped off and winged its way to Seishirou's shoulder. 

"The doctors say you'll be able to leave in a few days. I suggest you just be patient until then," said Subaru, hanging his coat over the back of the chair and pulling it up to sit beside Seishirou's bed. 

Seishirou sighed dramatically. "How will I ever survive? You'll come to see me, won't you, Subaru-kun?" he said, patting the onmyouji on the hand gently.

Subaru snatched his hand away. "Possibly," he said, frowning.

"Subaru-kun," he began, at the same time Subaru interjected with "Seishirou-san..."

"Yes?" said Seishirou.

"I haven't been very polite to you, have I?" said the younger man, staring at the floor.

Seishirou paused for a moment. "Well, no, I suppose you haven't been."

"I want you to know that I still think you deserved it. But I'm prepared to be civil to you now, because you've been... nice to me. And I've just been..."

"A jerk?" he asked, with a smile.

Subaru glared. "Bitter. And perfectly justified in it, I might add."

Seishirou shrugged. "Not this argument again..." he muttered.

Subaru slapped him on the wrist. "I came here to propose a truce."

"A truce?"

"Yes. I stop treating you like dirt, and you stop acting like a git."

"A _git?!_" he said, affronted.

"Yes. Stop patronising me, stop being so falsely cheerful and most of all stop _acting_. I didn't come back to Tokyo to meet yet another of your false personalities. I came here to meet the _real_ Seishirou-san."

"What if you don't like him?" he asked, casually.

"That's my problem."

He reached up to gently scratch his shikigami on the head. It seemed to approve of the idea, at least.

Well, he supposed it would just make their remaining months more interesting.

He nodded. "I'll do my best, then."


	10. Tenth

A Little Bet

Here's another chapter I wasn't going to write. But Hiki-chan asked about nice domestic scenes, and I thought about it on the train, and eventually penned the first half of this chapter. The second half is mostly because I thought it was Seishirou's turn to do a bit of musing.

**Chapter Ten**

"Seishirou-san? I have a question to ask," said Subaru, walking into the kitchen where his companion was preparing breakfast.

He'd almost been amazed by how much the atmosphere at home had changed since Seishirou had returned from the hospital. The other man had, to all intents and purposes, abandoned the cheerful, sardonic mask he usually put on when around Subaru. He was finding he like _this _Seishirou more and more.

"Yes, Subaru-kun?" asked Seishirou, from behind the fridge door.

Even better, after their encounter at Rainbow Bridge he suspected that Seishirou had stopped feeding the Sakura the souls of the people he killed. They'd never discussed the subject, but the aftermath of the death of souls no longer surrounded the Sakurazukamori like a choking cloud. Sometimes he wondered why he had never noticed that when he was sixteen. But, then, Seishirou had always been very careful not to let Subaru suspect his true identity.

"Well, Tsuru-san is coming over for tea tonight," he began.

"So you want me to leave the apartment," finished Seishirou. It wasn't an unreasonable assumption - Subaru hadn't missed how the Sakurazukamori had conveniently arranged to be out whenever his cousin was over.

Still, that wasn't what he wanted. "Well, no," said Subaru, smiling a little nervously. "I'd like you to stay. I want you two to get to know each other."

"You want us to _what_? Subaru-kun, I know you don't like it, but I _am_ the Sakurazukamori. And your cousin is the current Head of your clan."

And as for _why _the Sakurazukamori had suddenly changed his method of killing...

Subaru shrugged it off. Speculation on the assassin's motivation was fruitless. How their 'bet' ended was entirely dependent on whether Seishirou could understand his true feelings before it was too late.

He gave Seishirou a bright smile. "I'm sure it's not written anywhere that you two have to be enemies. Besides, it would somewhat awkward, having two of my friends wanting to kill each other."

Seishirou was silent.

Subaru sighed. "You don't have to like him. Just, act like you do."

"I thought you wanted me to stop pretending?" said Seishirou, presenting Subaru with a neatly arranged plate of food and sitting down beside him with a tiny smile.

"I want you two to be _civil_ to each other. It isn't much to ask, surely." He gave Seishirou a _look_. "If you prefer, I could go to tea with Kamui and Tsuru instead. I haven't been to see Kamui in a while, I'm sure he misses me."

Seishirou frowned. "I don't know what you see in that boy."

"He reminds me of myself. We have a lot in common."

"Anyway," said Seishirou, somewhat hurriedly. "I don't think that will be necessary. I'm sure Tsuru-kun and I will get along just fine."

Subaru decided not to question the other's sudden change of attitude. He'd given up trying to second-guess the Sakurazukamori for the moment.

"Well, then. If you excuse me, I'll ring Tsuru-san."  


~ * ~

Subaru's cousin Tsuru was, Seishirou reflected, a fairly average teenager. Oh, he was cute and talented, certainly, but he lacked most of the shy charm Subaru had had at sixteen. Tsuru wouldn't have drawn his attention in the first place.

Mind, Seishirou had been all of sixteen hmself when he first met Subaru. His mother was dead, but it was by his own hand. It didn't bother him. But it puzzled him, what she had said before her death. Love had been an alien concept to him. Despite what his mother said, he had doubted he could ever feel it. 

Then, the future head of the Sumeragi Clan had been a beautiful little boy who hadn't quite lost that childish joy in the wonders of the world. The opportunity was irresistable - with a charming smile, he told the story of the pink Sakura blossoms, just as his mother had for him. 

It was the Tree that had suggested the 'bet' that would have so many repercussions. Fascinated by the very _idea _of this boy teaching him to feel, he'd taken the boy's hands in his and marked them with his own symbol, the inverted pentagram.

And so his long-distance relationship with love had begun.

He hadn't understood, at the end of their year, just how much Subaru had been in love with him. He still didn't quite comprehend even the concept of it. 

Nine years later, he wondered if Subaru was still in love with him.

He thought he knew a little more about love, now. Hokuto-chan had certainly been very eager to talk about the concept. Her fascination with love had none of the clinical detachment his own had - hers was fire and warmth and enthusiasm coupled with the desire that Everyone Be Happy. 

"Love," she had said, "is caring so much about a person that you feel you'd be lost without them and you wonder how you ever lived before you met them. It's being willing to give up almost anything to make them happy." She had leant up to tap him on the nose, here. "It's putting their happiness above your own and not being afraid to let them go."

"If you love something, let it go. If it doesn't come back, it was never yours to keep?" he quoted, with an ironic smile.

"Exactly," she said, ignoring his tone. "It's trusting another person enough to know they wouldn't ever deliberately hurt you."

By that definition, he supposed Subaru was definitely no longer in love with him.

But if Subaru _didn't love him..._ then why did he make a new 'bet'?

He became dimly aware of someone trying to get his attention. "Seishirou-san? Moshi moshi?"

He turned to look at Subaru, raising his eyebrows.

"You were staring," said Subaru, returning to his tea.

Seishirou paused. "Was I?"

"Yes." Subaru turned to offer come cookies to his cousin, who was looking slightly bemused.

"At you?" he asked, puzzled.

"Yes," said the onmyouji, giving him a slightly amused look.

He got up. "I'm going outside to smoke," he announced, taking his coat off the rack. He needed some time alone to think.

Maybe Subaru _wanted_ to love him. He smiled, almost bitter. "But what is there to love about me?" he asked his Shikigami, a shadowy form of smoke and darkness. "Subaru is a gentle person."

The bird simply butted against his hand in reply. Distractedly, he scratched it gently on the neck.

It wasn't really like touching a living bird. It was most like touching a tangible shadow - it lacked the warmth and definition of living creatures. But it was real, nonetheless. And it was the closest to a friend the Sakurazukamori ever had.

Subaru called him "friend". It mystified him. He had thought the onmyouji hated him. Recent events seemed to indicate that this assumption was incorrect, although he had no idea when Subaru's opinion of him had changed. 

He shrugged that line of thought off philosophically. Human emotions were so complicated.

To make things worse, he seemed to be developing some of his own. This dull, burning anger he felt when Subaru spoke so fondly of the boy "Kamui" had to be 'jealousy'.

If he _had _to have emotions, why did they have to be so petty?


	11. Eleventh

(Type a title for your page here) **Chapter Eleven**

It was a bright, sunny day. Subaru and his sister were sitting together in an otherwise deserted park, simply enjoying being together as they couldn't be in the real world. 

Still, eventually awareness of what was happening outside began to creep into their conversation. "Subaru... It's the Final Day," said Hokuto, unsubtle as always, leaning back against an innocent Sakura tree.

"I know, 'neesan," he said, sighing.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, curiously.

Subaru shrugged, too relaxed to worry about it at the moment. "Wait, I suppose."

Hokuto stamped her foot, frustrated. "I _meant_, what are you going to do about Sei-chan?"

He smiled. "As I said, wait. It's up to him what happens." He traced a picture in the dirt - a bird in flight, wings stretched out to the sky. "Although, I would like to know how he feels _without_ the world ending first." He lay back and looked up at the sky, watching the clouds slowly drift past. 

"Subaru..."

All was silence for a long time, until Subaru sat up again to look at his sister. "Hokuto-chan... In case I don't ever get the chance to tell you... I love you."

She smiled brightly, as always, but there were tears in her eyes. "I love you, too." She hugged him, fiercely. "And don't you _dare_ die unhappy."

He hugged her back. "I'll do my best," he promised.

"Good," she said. "And... I think you should wake up now."

"Not just yet," he said, softly. "Just hold me a little longer..."

She didn't deny his request.

~ * ~

Subaru paced his apartment nervously. He was worried, he couldn't deny it. Kamui was still so young, so lacking in self-confidence. If he faltered for even a second in front of his opponent - the one that had once been a friend - it would all be over. Subaru tried to have faith in the boy. But sometimes it was so hard...

He knew he wouldn't have been able to do it, if he was 16 again and his opponent was the Sakurazukamori.

He'd spent the previous night at Kamui's, returning only at nine in the morning to collapse into bed and dreams of his sister. Of all the Dragons of Heaven, Kamui was the one that most needed a friend. Subaru was glad to be there for him, holding the boy while he cried and listening to him when he spoke of his hopes and dreams for a better future.

Subaru had no wish to have the world end, even if he wasn't technically a Seal. There was too much to live for, now that he and Seishirou were finally coming to a civil agreement.

Seishirou.

The Sakurazukamori was out there somewhere. After all, it _was _the Final Battle.

He'd known the end of 1999 would come before the end of their year. Of course it would. But still, he'd hoped...

He felt tears slipping over his cheeks and scrubbed them away furiously. He was sick of crying over Seishirou. He wanted it all to be over, to be just an unpleasant memory.

He wanted _resolution_. He was tired of being so damn uncertain of what he _was_ to the older man.

He wanted Seishirou to love him.

Faido nipped at his heel.

Subaru glanced at her. "Do I love _him_?" He paused for a moment in thought. "I don't know. I don't think I do, really. Too much has happened; I've changed so much since I was sixteen. He's practically a stranger to me, now. And I can't even _forgive_ him until he genuinely feels remorse for what he did to me.

"But, if he loved me, I'd be happy. If the real Seishirou-san is the person I'm living with now, I could grow to love him back. And that's what's really important, right?"

Still, if Seishirou _had _fallen in love with him; if Seishirou told him he regretted what he'd done and wanted them to start over; if he _won_...

Subaru didn't know what he'd do.

~ * ~

Seishirou regarded his opponent warily. Tsuru didn't look like he was going to attack any time soon, but appearances could be deceiving. He raised an eyebrow at the onmyouji, idly toying with one of his ofuda.

"Damnit, why aren't you _doing_ anything?" demanded Tsuru, after they'd been staring at each other for a good ten minutes or more.

Seishirou glanced at him mildly. "If I kill you, your cousin will never forgive me."

"But this is the Final Battle!"

"Well then, I suppose that means you've won this round."

Tsuru gave him a helpless look. "Subaru wouldn't ever speak to me again if I killed you without due cause."

"We're at a stalemate, then."

Tsuru glared at him. "Damnit, do you really _care_ what Subaru thinks of you? I know what you did to him. You're the reason he quit his position as Clan Head, you're the reason he lost his eye, you're the reason he starts shaking whenever he sees someone that resembles you. If I were him, what you've _already_ done would be unforgivable," yelled the Sumeragi, angrily.

Seishirou stared at him. "He starts shaking?" he repeated, softly. A thousand examples brought themselves to mind immediately.

_"Are you cold, Subaru-kun? Here, have my coat."_

_"It's an interesting change in the weather, don't you think? I mean, it's a bright, sunny day, without even a cloud in sight. But in the shadows, it's ice-cold."  
_  
He had an odd feeling, deep down. It was almost a kind of pain.

Seishirou was slowly getting used to the odd emotion suddenly introducing itself to him. He supposed it was Subaru's fault - who else's could it be, when he only felt these things in relation to the onmyouji? Other people were still just...

Objects. He didn't care that sending their souls to the tree was a torture worse than the actual death. All he cared was that Subaru _did_. And so, he let their souls go.

Even if he wanted to, he didn't think he could bring himself to kill Subaru. 

He wondered if Subaru was serious about killing him. It would be unfortunate if he did, because Subaru probably wouldn't even last a day as the Sakurazukamori. He'd just...

Seishirou stopped mid-thought.

He didn't want that to happen, either. He'd already hurt Subaru so much... Was this painful emotion 'guilt', then? He fought back amusement at the very idea.

So, it wasn't just not wanting to kill Subaru. He wanted Subaru to _live_. He wanted to live himself.

With Subaru.

And today, the world could end.

He had to tell him.


	12. Twelfth

**Chapter Twelve**

When Seishirou opened the door and entered the apartment, he found Subaru sitting with his head on the table, eyes open and staring at nothing. Faido lay at his feet, curled up with her nose next to her tail, fast asleep.

He walked over and touched him on the shoulder gently. "Subaru-kun."

Subaru propped his head up with his hand and elbow, regarding Seishirou critically. "Shouldn't you be out there fighting?" he asked.

Seishirou shrugged, and sat down next to the onmyouji. "Your cousin and I decided we had more important things to do."

"Tsuru's okay, isn't he?" demanded Subaru, worry clearly audible beneath the harsh tone.

Seishirou nodded. "He was when I left." Now that he was here, that which had seemed perfectly logical and simple half an hour ago now seemed impossible. He had no idea where to even start.

"What if the world ends, Seishirou-san?" said Subaru, in a small voice.

He gazed at the younger man, silently.

"What if Kamui loses, and we're all gone? I don't want to die, Seishirou-san. Not like that."

"How _do_ you want to die, then, Subaru-kun?" he asked, curious.

Subaru let out a shaky breath. "With you," he sighed. "In your arms. Like she did."

He'd suspected, of course. But somehow, hearing it like that... It hurt. It made him (his heart?) ache. "I'm sorry, Subaru-kun," he managed to say.

Subaru drew in a small breath. "What do you mean, Seishirou-san? What for?"

He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "For everything. Every way I hurt you. You didn't deserve any of that, not even if you were the Head of the Sumeragi clan. And... I'm sorry I can't let you die the way you want to."

"You won't kill me?" asked Subaru, very quietly.

Seishirou shook his head. "I can't."

"Why not?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. It's just, ever since you've been back, I've been feeling... strange things around you."

"I think... I think that would be because I marked you," said Subaru, sounding more confident now.

Seishirou blinked, as Subaru took his hand and turned it up so that the palm faced the ceiling.

"You're bound to two things now. It's logical that the one with the strongest will should have the strongest influence." 

"And that's you?" he asked, surprised.

"It's not hard to have stronger will than a Tree, Seishirou-san."

Subaru removed his glove, gently putting his hand over Seishirou's, hovering about an inch above without touching. In his OtherSight, Seishirou saw the usually invisible symbols on his hand flare up in reaction to Subaru's presence. Subaru's were doing the same. Silver fire, in the shape of a pentagram.

The spark as Subaru's bare hand touched his for the first time was almost painful in its intensity.

"Subaru," he said, when the moment had passed. "What was that?"

"We're bound to each other, now."

"What?"

"If I die, you'll feel it. And vice versa. If one of us kills the other..." The killer, too, would die. He knew the way bindings worked, just as he knew the 'feel' that Subaru spoke of was to live through the dying agonies of the one you were bound to.

"But... what about your bet?" he asked, rubbing at his left palm with his right hand, and then swapping hands.

Subaru shrugged. "It's what I'd want. If I killed you, there would be nothing left to hope for." And Subaru couldn't live without hope, because that was the kind of person he was.

That hurt, too. He wanted to curse the onmyouji for giving him these emotions. He wanted to hate him for forcing this thing he had never wanted on him. But... he couldn't. Just as he knew Subaru could never bring himself to truly hate the Sakurazukamori, despite what he'd done. Nor from hoping that, one day, there would not be this gulf caused by pain and anger separating them. 

Love was a powerful emotion, after all.

"Subaru," he said, after a while. "I don't _want_ you to die."

The onmyouji blinked at him.

"I want you to live. I want you to be happy. With me, if that's possible."

"But, Seishirou-san, I thought you didn't love me?" he asked, coolly.

"I didn't know, then. And I wouldn't have accepted it if I did."

"And now?"

"Now..." He took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "I think I might."

Subaru just stared at him for a long, long time. "You're lying!" he burst out eventually, jumping up and disturbing the puppy, who dashed for the kitchen with a slight yelp. "You can't be telling the truth! You can't! You can't..." He fell to his knees and broke down into tears. "You can't..."

Seishirou knelt beside him, stroking his hair gently. "I'm not lying, Subaru-kun." A few tears splashed onto the hardwood floor. He very gently pulled Subaru back into a standing position, wrapping his arms around the onmyouji tightly. "I'm not. Wasn't that what this was all about? Getting me to tell the truth?"

He felt Subaru shivering, and gently ran his fingers through the other's soft, black hair. The onmyouji's eyes were shut tightly, cheek pressed close against Seishirou's chest. "I'm not going to hurt you, Subaru-kun. You don't need to be afraid."

Seishirou felt the damp of Subaru's tears begin to soak into his shirt. "I know," whispered Subaru, quietly. "I know. But I can't stop shaking..."

"I'm sorry," he said, for the second time that evening. He guided Subaru to the bedroom and pulled back the sheets on Subaru's bed, laying the onmyouji down gently. Subaru's eyes flicked open to give him a shocked look when he realised where they were. "S-S-Seishirou-san! What are you...?"

"You're shaking. And you must be tired, or you wouldn't have broken down like that." Seishirou lay down on his side next to him. "Sleep, Subaru-kun," he said, gently stroked the other's hair until he relaxed. He heard Faido pad her way into the room and watched with some amusement as she flopped down on the bottom of the bed and dropped instantly back into slumber.

"Seishirou-san," said Subaru, in a sleepy voice.

"Yes?

"Even if the world ends, tonight... I'm glad. That I had this."

~ END ~

**Epilogue**

Subaru woke the next morning, wrapped up in Seishirou's arms. He blinked, rubbed his eyes, and sat up, blanket pooling in his lab. "We're still here," he said, in wonder.

Seishirou looked up at him with a wry smile. "I suppose this means your Kamui won."

Subaru got out of bed and into his casual pants and top. "I'm going to CLAMP Campus," he announced, taking his coat off the back of the chair.

"No breakfast?"

"It can wait," he said, shrugging on the coat and making his way out onto the street. The world didn't seem any different at all, really. It was New Year's Day, there was hardly anyone on the streets, which were dusted in a freshly fallen coat of snow. The world was still asleep.

He knew Kamui, though. There was no way the boy was sleeping.

The door to Kamui's apartment was opened by a dark-haired young man in black. Subaru took a step backwards, hand instinctively going to his eye.

The boy stared at him, expression moving from surprise to guilt. "I'm sorry," he said, softly.

Subaru blinked at him. Then it clicked. Kamui had somehow won his battle _without_ killing his twin star. He averted his gaze. "I'm sorry, too," he said, quietly, "that you remember."

"I don't remember everything," said Fuuma, opening the door to let Subaru inside. "But I remember enough."

"Any of it would be too much," said Subaru, softly.

Kamui was lying in bed with his eyes closed, but not sleeping. He looked up and smiled weakly at Subaru as the onmyouji entered the room. "I won," he said, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"So I see. Congratulations," said Subaru, walking over to sit on the side of the bed. Kamui seemed to attempt a laugh, but it came out as more of a sob. Subaru gave him a loose hug. "What's wrong, Kamui?"

"It's funny," said Kamui, distantly, "that even though I got what I wanted, I can't enjoy it."

Subaru stroked the boy's hair, gently. "You're afraid of him, aren't you? Even though you know he won't hurt you any more, you can't stop shaking around him."

Kamui nodded, mutely.

Subaru kissed him on the forehead. "It takes time, but you'll be able to control it, eventually. Have hope, Kamui. Always have hope." Subaru got up. "You should sleep. You haven't slept at all tonight, have you?"

The boy shook his head. "Tsuru-san was here until three, but I couldn't get to sleep afterwards."

"Well, you need it. I'm Tsuru-san would agree with me, too."

Kamui gave him another weak smile. "Okay, I'll try."

Fuuma gave Subaru a concerned look as he exited the room. "Is he okay?" he asked, concerned.

Subaru nodded, uncertainly. "He will be, with time."

Fuuma looked relieved. "That's good."

Subaru smiled weakly, in sudden enlightenment. "You love him, right?" Fuuma gave a determined nod. "That will help." After all, he knew from experience.

"You really think he'll forgive me?"

"Well... Kamui and I have a lot in common." To the point that their similarities were often somewhat painful, he reflected. "And I managed."

"Um, Sumeragi-san, about you and the Sakurazukamori..."

Subaru stopped smiling. "Yes?" he said, neutrally.

"He wanted to lose his original bet. His Wish was for the opportunity to make things right between you."

Subaru stared at him.

"He didn't _realise_ this, of course."

Subaru laughed, bitterly. "I suppose he wouldn't."

Fuuma gave him an assessing look. "You're not happy? Don't you remember your wish?"

"My wish?"

"You wished for a reason to love him. You wanted to know that the person you fell in love with at sixteen wasn't totally a lie."

Subaru shrugged. "But he was, wasn't he," he stated.

"The Sakurazukamori has many masks. He simply discarded one in order to don another."

"And what of him now, then?" asked Subaru, curious despite himself.

"Now? I think you achieved your wish. He isn't lying any more."

Subaru didn't answer. If even Fuuma thought Seishirou wasn't lying... Seishirou must really be in love with him.The thought made him feel a curious kind of warmth inside.

"You should go home," said Fuuma, gently guiding him to the door. "It's New Year's Day, people want to be with their loved ones."

"But, I..." He swallowed. He didn't want to go yet. He wasn't sure he wanted to see Seishirou again, not until he was sure what he was feeling. "I wanted to see Tsuru-san first."

"We're having a party of sorts tomorrow night. You and Sakurazuka-san can both come along."

"But..." A _party_?! With _Seishirou-san_?! The thought was... It was...

_If I ask him to come with me, will he think it's a date?_

Would I mind if he does?

Dates meant... kissing...

Seishirou-san.

"Go home, Sumeragi-san. It's your Wish."

THE END  
  
---  
There's a side story and a second epilogue if anyone's interested... 


	13. Extras

_Yes, this took me a while. I'm sorry, I suffered a crisis of confidence and gave up fanfic, in the process forgetting to update fanfiction.net with the A Little Bet Extras.  
  
So, here we go now. A Side Story, an Epilogue, and some Author's Notes._  
  
**Sidestory**  
  
Subaru was woken up at 7:30 in the morning by a frantic call from his cousin. Tsuru, current Head of the Sumeragi Clan, had been called at seven o'clock about an urgent job, but had an eight AM lecture at CLAMP Campus University and didn't have time to take care of the problem.  
  
"It won't take too long," promised Tsuru. "Can you?"  
  
Subaru assured his cousin that it was no trouble at all, quickly taking down the name and address, plus a brief description of the situation. A mis-summoned scrying spirit. Not too difficult.  
  
"Who was that?" asked Seishirou, sleepily, when Subaru returned to the bedroom.  
  
"My cousin," said Subaru, reaching for his day-clothes. "I have a job."  
  
About half an hour later, he was knocking on the apartment door, double-checking the name on the slip of paper. Unsurprisingly, it was opened by a young woman. Mis-summonings were almost always the fault of girls casting spells from a book.  
  
"Kudou-san?" he asked, politely. "I'm Sumeragi Subaru."  
  
She blinked at him. "You're not Tsuru-san," she said, sounding confused.  
  
"Tsuru-san is my cousin," explained Subaru. "He had other committments this morning."  
  
The girl looked vaguely disappointed. "Oh..."  
  
"He said you had trouble with a summoning?"  
  
"Oh. Yes. It's, ah... Well, I noticed it the other day. I thought I could control it, but..."  
  
"Are you trained in onmyoujitsu?" he asked, although he knew full well what the answer would be.  
  
She shook her head. "I have a book," she offered, shyly.  
  
Inwardly, he groaned. Young girls with books were the bane of his existence, he felt.  
  
Lighting some incense, he knelt on the floor and began to chant, only dimly aware of Kudou-san standing nearby, shuffling her feet. He found the spirit easily enough, and wasn't surprised to find it dusted all over with traces of her aura. She hadn't merely tried to bind it, she'd been responsible for its summoning as well.  
  
The spell he used to seal it and send it to its proper place was simple enough. It screamed piercingly as the binding came into existence, forcing him to throw strong mental shields up in defence. The girl had no such shielding, and the sound brought her to her knees in agony.  
  
When it was over, he stood up shakily, and made his way over to help Kudou-san. "I'm sorry," he said, meekly.  
  
She stood up, using the wall for support. "I didn't realise they made noises like that," she said, quietly.  
  
"Spirits have feelings as well, and they're often completely insane," explained Subaru, quietly. "They don't like being sealed up." He glanced around the apartment for a moment. "May I see the book you were using?" he asked.  
  
Looking slighly embarrassed, she went to the bookcase and brought down a tattered softcover volume. He flicked through it disdainfully, taking note of the title and author before handing it back. "You realise this is _full_ of errors?" he said, with a frown.  
  
"Is it?" she asked, not meeting his eyes.  
  
He nodded, watching her carefully. She _had_ known, he was sure of it. So, why...  
  
"Um..." she said, just as the silence was starting to get uncomfortable. "Why couldn't Tsuru-san come this morning?"  
  
"He had a class," said Subaru, absently. He walked to the window and placed a few wards on it, repeating the procedure on the apartment's door. "You shouldn't be bothered by rogue spirits any more," he said, smiling, when he was finished.  
  
"Oh. Thank you..." she said, hesitantly, not seeming very pleased at all.  
  
He gave her a sharp look. "It's dangerous, you know, playing around with magic. You need more than just ability - you need the training and the knowledge of which spell to use, when and how. Phrasing and emphasis is very important."  
  
"I..."  
  
"So, why don't you ask Tsuru-san to teach you?"  
  
"I... what?"  
  
"I'm sure he won't mind. And that way you can see him _without_ an excuse and under less dangerous circumstances."  
  
She blushed very red, but nodded. "Thank you."  
  
  


~ * ~  


**Epilogue Two**  
  
"What do you think Love is, Seishirou-san?"  
  
Seishirou blinked at him. "Your sister told me once that--"  
  
"I don't want to know what _oneesan _thought, Seishirou-san. I want to know what _you_ think."  
  
Seishirou sat back and lit a cigarette throughtfully. "I used to think love was inseperable from obsession. That's not quite right, though, is it."  
  
Subaru didn't answer, he just continued to look at him expectantly.  
  
"I think... Love is about being equals. Love is about trust, contentment and being complete. It's about having a person that makes you feel your life is worth living," he said, between smokes.  
  
Subaru leant over and plucked the cigarette from his fingers, twirling it between his fingers but not actually attempting to smoke it. "Do you love me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Subaru tapped the cigarette out and moved over to sit beside him. "Good," he said, smiling. He angled around to kiss Seishirou softly. "I love you too," he added pressing the words against Seishirous lips more than actually speaking them.  
  
Seishirou didn't undermine the statement by asking if Subaru was really serious. He wouldn't have said it if he wasn't - that was the sort of person Subaru was.  
  
The kiss lasted for a very long time.  
  
"It's been a year, hasn't it?" said Seishirou, when they finally separated. "Was it worth it?"  
  
"Of course," said Subaru, gently. "I learned to love again."  
  
  


~ * ~  
  


**Author's Notes  
**  
Tsuru:   
I needed an original character to fill Subaru's place. "Tsuru" means "crane" and it's one of the constellations, thus fitting the pattern in Hokuto and Subaru's names. As a person, I just wanted him to be a nice young man with a small case of hero worship for his cousin. For the curious, he's straight, and I have vague plans for a sidestory involving his girlfriend one day. Subaru usually calls him Tsuru-san because, whilst Subaru is definitely the older, Tsuru is clan head. And we all know how painfull polite Subaru is.  
  
Subaru and his neuroses:  
He's insecure and scared to death of Seishirou to a certain point, but that doesn't stop him from achieving his goals. I think that's very like Subaru. As for the shaking, that's just standard reaction to trauma - in Subaru's case, sort of like a small panic attack.  
  
Seishirou and Subaru's relationship:  
Subaru is so often written as being hopelessly in love with Seishirou in X, and that's something that just doesn't make sense to me. I mean, Subaru doesn't have any _reason_ to love Seishirou, and nine years is quite enough time to get over any residual feelings for the person he knew in Tokyo Babylon. However, this doesn't mean he doesn't feel hurt or betrayed by Seishirou, nor stop him from wanting what they _had_ back. In Seishirou, Subaru wants to find something worth loving.  
As for Seishirou, I think he could fall for Subaru quite easily, given some time and a little magical intervention.   
  
The Eye Scene:  
God, this one took me a while to do. We know from other stories in X that Fuuma occasionally grants wishes of non-Dragons, so that's not really an issue. And, yes, I think that Subaru would still be feeling guilty about Seishirou's eye. I hinted at it earlier, when Seishirou moved in. Seishirou is certainly rather a jerk for not coming to visit him in hospital, but would Subaru really have wanted to see him?  
  
The Rainbow Bridge scene:  
Another scene that took me a while. I wanted to write it, because it's kind of important in the context of X and it would be that extra little catalyst to getting them where I wanted them to be. Only, I was having a lot of trouble giving Seishirou a reason to attempt Subaru's murder. As you may have noticed, he ended up _not_ attempting it at all, really.  
As it stands now, I think the most important thing about it is the pointlessness. It didn't need to happen at all. But that's what we get for not trusting people. (Not that Subaru has any _reason_ to trust Seishirou.)  
As for Subaru's state of upset afterwards, it makes perfect sense given his personality, and the fact that Seishirou practically _told_ him he wasn't really going to kill him. Subaru's a bright lad, he'd realise the significance of Hokuto's spell.  
  
Epilogue:  
Yes, Kamui won. Why? Because, in my opinion, wiping out humanity would only make the problem worse. Think of all the nuclear plants, nuclear weapons and other silly things that require our supervision. Not to mention introduced species, which are a huge problem here in Australia. Basically, I think the Earth's greatest hope at the moment is for us to beat a bit of sense into our world leaders and work on healing what's already happened as best we can, and preventing more damage. (End mini-rant.)  
I would like to credit Kouri and Karasu, who introduced me to the concept of Kamui's Severe Fuuma Trauma in their story Aftermath. I think Kamui/NotEvilAnymore!Fuuma are quite a nice couple, myself, but I have yet to find a readable fic about it.  
**  
  
**


End file.
